


Least Common Denominator

by borutosdad



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol, Drinking, Gen, One-Sided Attraction, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 08:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21033050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/borutosdad/pseuds/borutosdad
Summary: On the day of Naruto's wedding, Sasuke and Sakura have a lot to talk about.





	Least Common Denominator

**Author's Note:**

> i originally wrote this to be a part of a larger fic that ive since reworked and it no longer fits in, so here it is by itself. i may expand on it later but for right now i just wanted to post it so i stop editing lol

Sakura was not nearly as inebriated as she wanted to be. It had been a long day and she really did not want to think about it anymore. She ordered two more drinks from the bartender and pointedly did not pay attention to the celebration that was going on around her. 

“Wanna slow down a little, Haruno?” a familiar voice chided her as the bartender set her drinks down in front of her. Ino’s tone was light and teasing, but there was an underlying concern there too, which Sakura did not care for at all at this moment in time. “I know we’re supposed to be celebrating, but I think you've taken that too far,” Ino continued. 

Sakura shrugged. “It's one of my few nights off, I just want to relax a little,” she said. And it was true. While the number of combat missions had gone down significantly since the war ended, she had been focusing her efforts on improving healing techniques in the hospital and training young medical ninja, which did not leave her a lot of free time. She preferred it that way, though. If she had too much free time she started to think about things that brought up unpleasant feelings. She'd rather ignore her problems, especially since there was still so much to do to help Konoha after all the damage Kaguya did to it and the surrounding area. 

“It's none of my business, but I have a feeling that's not what's bugging you tonight,” Ino said, giving her friend a knowing look. 

Sakura sighed, knowing she wasn't going to escape this conversation without revealing at least some of the truth. “Okay, I give up,” Sakura said. She grabbed one of her glasses and downed it. As the familiar warmth crept into her stomach and up her throat, she turned to Ino. “I'm sad, alright? Happy now?” she demanded, grabbing her second drink and taking a sip. 

Ino frowned. Sakura assumed she was trying to puzzle out how anyone could possibly be sad at a wedding, especially a good friend’s wedding. She thought for another moment, then her eyes lit up with understanding. 

“Sasuke?” Ino asked. Her expression was sad, almost pitying, and Sakura had to resist the urge to curl her lip in disgust. She took another drink. Ino had unintentionally given her an out, so she was going to use it. 

“I've imagined our wedding before,” Sakura said. A lie was always better with a bit of truth ingrained in it. “I always thought it would be like this, surrounded by all our friends, with everyone laughing together…” She trailed off, becoming lost in thought. The alcohol was making her a tad woozy, but she took another sip. She wanted to remember as little of this night as possible. 

Ino nodded in understanding. “I still can't believe he didn't show tonight, after everything Naruto did for him.” She shook her head in disappointment. She then looked back at Sakura. “One more drink,” she warned. “I'll be watching.” 

Sakura nodded and forced a smile onto her face. “Go have fun,” she said, and to her relief, Ino left for the dance floor after a firm squeeze to Sakura’s shoulder. 

With Ino now distracted, Sakura decided it would be the perfect time to slip away. She knew Ino would be true to her word and prevent her from drinking any more, plus the party was just making her more depressed. Best to leave now and spend the rest of the night drinking as much as she wanted where no one would judge her. She did have to say goodbye to one person, however, or she wouldn't hear the end of it. Luckily, she spotted him quickly and made her way over to where he and Hinata were chatting with some guests. 

Naruto spotted her as she got closer, and his face brightened. “Sakura! I'm so glad you made it. I know they're keeping you busy down at the medical center,” he said and pulled her into a hug. 

“I wouldn't miss it,” she said truthfully. Despite her feelings, there was nothing that would've kept her from Naruto’s wedding. He was one of her closest friends, and she would never let anything get in the way of that. She shook her head a bit, trying to clear her buzz long enough to make her excuse and leave. “I'm actually gonna take off, I'm pretty tired and I've got an early start tomorrow,” she said, making an attempt to sound regretful. “Congratulations to you both.” Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she turned around and headed for the exit. She was vaguely aware of Naruto calling after her, but he must've been stopped by another friend or family member because he didn't catch up to her. 

She didn't look back. 

* * *

It was only after she had left the venue that Sakura realized she had no idea where to go. She had never been a big drinker, and Konoha was not exactly known for its nightlife. Ino had taken her out for birthday drinks when she was finally old enough to do it legally, but other than that she'd only ever imbibed at restaurants or weddings. She tried desperately to remember the bar Ino had taken her to so long ago. It had had some ridiculous name but her compromised brain could not pull it out of her heap of memories. 

After wandering the streets for a while, she happened upon a small bar on the edge of town. She didn't know how she had found her way, but now that she was here, she was going to do what she had set out to do. 

She stepped inside and was immediately struck by the atmosphere. From the outside it looked small, and it proved to be even smaller inside. As a result, it had a more intimate feel than the large venue she had just left. The bar itself only had a few stools in front of it, and there were two tables on either side of it, pressed against the walls. It was dark inside, which also contributed to the close feeling. Despite being quite a distance from the main parts of the village, the place was full; the tables were all taken and someone grabbed the last bar stool as Sakura had walked in and surveyed the place. 

Maybe this was the universe giving her a sign. She turned back around and promptly smacked head first into someone just entering the establishment. Her apology caught halfway in her throat when she saw who it was she had hit. 

He looked different from the last time she had seen him; he was a bit taller, his hair longer and his overall appearance a bit haggard. That was to be expected, of course, he was living on the road, never in one place for too long. But it was still unmistakably him.

“Sasuke?” she managed to choke out. “What are you...how….” she couldn't decide which question to ask, and her words trailed off, the silence between them would be deafening if not for the clinking of glasses and conversations of the other customers.

When he didn't respond, she thought maybe she had been a bit more drunk than she initially thought.

His gaze was piercing, assessing her, judging her. His jaw clenched ever so slightly, so much so that Sakura thought she may have imagined it, then relaxed again. He gave her a curt nod. “Sakura,” he said, his voice soft and smooth and exactly as she had remembered it. “I wasn't expecting to see you here.” 

“I wasn't expecting to see you at all,” she didn't even try to keep the bitterness out of her voice. 

If he was offended by the remark, he didn't show it. Instead, he moved past her and into the building, sitting at a table in the back corner that had been vacated at some point during their brief encounter. He looked back at her, making brief eye contact before looking pointedly at the bar and then at the empty chair opposite him. Sakura had a decision to make. If this had been five years ago, she wouldn't have hesitated to join Sasuke, but now she wasn't sure. All her soul searching in the time he had been gone had taught her some things about herself and she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk to him. Not yet. 

On the other hand he seemed to be offering to buy her drinks. 

The universe must have changed its mind about the course of this night. Her already buzzed mind made the decision easily. She crossed the room in a few steps and sat down across from Sasuke. Somehow, there were already drinks on the table. She hadn't seen him order, but perhaps she had zoned out while making her decision and failed to notice. 

She rested her hands on the cool glass and stared at the liquid inside, contemplating it for a moment before taking a big gulp of it. It burned on the way down her throat and she nearly gagged at the sensation, coughing for a moment before composing herself again. Sasuke laughed lightly, clearly amused by the situation. 

“It's been a while,” he said, breaking the silence. His expression was unreadable as always, so Sakura couldn't tell what he was thinking. 

She shrugged. “I suppose it has.” She made a face at her glass before trying to swallow another mouthful. She managed to down it without much more coughing. “God that is awful,” she commented before motioning to the bartender that she wanted another. 

“It's cheap,” Sasuke said in response, taking a sip from his own glass. “You get used to it.”

“You come here often then?” Sakura asked. It made sense. A small dive on the edge of town for the times when he needed to report to the hokage but wouldn't want his presence to be known. 

He shrugged. “Often enough to know which drink is the cheapest.” 

The bar was so close that Sakura merely had to lean back in her chair to reach the counter. Her fresh drink was sitting there and she grabbed it without standing up. She took another sip, this time relishing the burning sensation that crept down her throat and into her gut as she swallowed. 

Sasuke considered her for a moment, then spoke again. “What are you doing in a place like this, Sakura? Shouldn't you be at the wedding?” 

At the mention of the wedding, Sakura stiffened. She downed the rest of her drink without much thought. By now she had a pleasant buzz teetering into the territory of drunk going, best not to lose momentum. 

“I left early,” she said like it was no big deal. She had a third drink in her hands now. She couldn't recall when she had asked for it. “I just didn't want to look at his stupid face anymore.” After the words left her lips, she gasped and raised a hand to cover her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that. 

Sasuke didn't look surprised. In fact, he didn't look _ anything _ and it was beginning to frustrate her. 

“What about you?” Sakura demanded. “Your best friend gets married and you skip it to come here?” 

That did get a rise out of him. “I _ was _ there, Sakura,” he said through gritted teeth, his words short and clipped. Finally, an emotional response. 

“Could've fooled me,” she said, her voice growing louder as she drank more. “Oh I forgot, you like to greet your friends with a sword don't you?” Her tone was accusatory and much more harsh than she had intended, the alcohol intensifying the feelings she had been suppressing all this time. 

Instead of looking angry or defensive, Sasuke just looked sad. His shoulders slumped in defeat. They sat like that for a while, Sakura glaring at him and Sasuke looking anywhere but at her as he finished his own drink. 

“I've done terrible things,” he said finally. His voice was soft and surprisingly vulnerable. “I know I have and I regret...many of my choices. Getting revenge on my brother was my only goal in life, and if I couldn't achieve that, then for me there was no point in being alive. So I did everything in my power to make sure it happened. I was consumed by my hatred and it caused me to do awful things. I am sorry for that.” 

Okay, she had to be drunk now. Not only because she was pretty sure she was on drink number four, but because she had just heard Sasuke _ apologize _ to her. 

She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. “_ Sorry _ doesn’t make up for what you did. Not even close,” she hissed. She slammed back the rest of her drink, suppressing the urge to gag. Maybe she had overdone it a little with the alcohol.

“I know,” he said softly. “If it makes you feel better, I’m as miserable as I have ever been.” He smiled wryly, eyes fixed on the empty glass in front of him.

“I don’t know that it makes me feel better, but it doesn’t make me feel worse so that’s something,” Sakura replied. She pushed her glass away from her and onto Sasuke’s side of the table. Maybe she should’ve let Ino babysit her before. Her mind was mush and she was ninety percent certain that everything in her stomach would be exiting shortly. Distraction, she needed distraction. “Why are you miserable anyway?” 

Sasuke didn’t answer at first. Sakura began to think perhaps she forgot to ask the question aloud when he took a breath. “I imagine much the same reason you are.” He said it with such seriousness, like a confession from the deepest part of himself. She looked at him and saw the sadness there, the suffering she knew all too well. The suffering she also felt.

“Oh,” the word left her mouth as an exhale. Of course. That’s the reason he was here, and why she hadn’t seen him at the wedding. Her inevitable vomiting seemed to abate as she took in this information. Suddenly, probably from all the alcohol, she burst into laughter. 

Sasuke frowned and considered her with a tilt of his head.

“Sorry, sorry,” she managed through giggles. “It’s just...wow, he really did a number on us, didn’t he? Who would’ve thought we’d have _ this _ in common?” She wiped some tears that were forming in her eyes. She didn’t know if they were from her laughter or if she was finally letting out what she had been repressing the entire night. When she finally composed herself enough to bring her attention back to Sasuke, she found that he was not amused by her observation.

“I should go, it’s getting late. Do you need me to walk you home?” he asked.

“Oh lighten up Sasuke! Don’t you find this the teeniest bit funny?”

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. He inhaled, exhaled, then lowered his hand again. “I told him,” he said without preamble. “How I felt. It was stupid and it did not go well. So, no, I don’t find it funny.”

Sakura’s jaw dropped. She had to gather herself. She had _ no idea _ what to say to that. 

“You’re insane,” is what she finally decided on. “It’s his _ wedding, _ Sasuke, how could you do that?” There had been many a time where Sakura had been tempted to confess her feelings for Naruto. Tell him how he made her feel like anything was possible, like she had the strength of the entire world behind her. But she hadn’t. Of course she hadn’t. She had only realized her feelings after he’d gotten engaged to Hinata, and obviously she would never want to get in the way of that. Naruto deserved happiness, after everything that’s happened to him. And he was happy with Hinata. Sakura knew and understood this; it was also a convenient reason to never bring up her feelings, ever. And Sasuke had _ told him _? Just like that? Just said those words? She could hardly imagine it.

Sasuke’s hand tightened into a fist on the table. “Like I said, it was stupid. I wasn’t thinking.”

“What...what did he say?” Sakura asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. It was also a deeply selfish question. She hoped he had gotten rebuked entirely so that she know she never had a chance. It was a horrible thing to want, and yet she wanted it badly.

A deep sigh. “He said,” Sasuke paused and exhaled, as if he were hearing the words again, and perhaps he was. “He said he couldn’t wait for me. There might’ve been something there, but I left and was gone for too long. He’s already done so much for me, I couldn’t ask him to put his life on hold for me again. So, what did I do? I left again, and now I’m here with you.”

Sakura felt like she had been punched in the gut. _ There might’ve been something there? _Seriously? Would Naruto have said the same thing to her, had she asked? It was too much. She excused herself and ran into the tiny restroom in the back where her stomach promptly vacated its contents. When it was over, she didn’t feel any better. In fact, she probably felt worse. She trudged her way back to the table only to find it empty. A small pile of bills weighed down with a glass was all that greeted her.

Of fucking course.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/borutosdads), thanks for reading!


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